A well respected head coach from the Gabilan Division tossed around an idea with me about rectifying what has become a real concern in terms of the health of the division.

After tinkering with his thoughts, I believe he’s on to something. Here’s the problem. It might make too much sense.

No one is complaining about how the Santa Lucia or Cypress Divisions have been put together in the Pacific Coast Athletic League, which seeks to group teams in divisions where they can be competitive. The concerns in the Mission Division stem from fear of being bumped a division higher into the Gabilan and seeing their programs crippled.

That’s never going to change. Ultimately it’s demoralizing when your program goes from winning a Central Coast Section divisional title to struggling just to compete in the Gabilan.

So let’s think out of the box. Here is an alternative that just might make playing in the upper division not feel like a harsh penalty for success in the smaller division.

How about a playoff like atmosphere before it actually begins — beginning in Week 9 of the regular season.

The top four teams in the Gabilan Division will play each other in the final two weeks, with the two winners meeting for the top seed, and the other two for third place. A share of the league title could be at stake.

Because the Gabilan already is assured of four automatic CCS qualifiers, the four teams are playing for points in the playoffs. Sure, it means a second meeting. But what a great playoff tuneup.

Now the bottom four in the Gabilan would match up with the top four in the Mission Division with the same format.

Yet, here is where things change. The No. 1 team in the Mission would face the No. 8 in the Gabilan, with 2-vs-7, 3-vs-6, 4-vs-5. The winners would meet the following week.

The two teams that win their two games are in the postseason. The third automatic spot that comes from the Mission goes to the team with the next best league record, regardless of what occurs. That ensures the Mission Division champion is in, regardless of what occurs.

What you have created is hope for the bottom four in the Gabilan Division that their seasons are not a complete wash before the year starts — that a trip to the postseason still exists.

Of course, if you’re one of the top three teams in the Mission, there is a chance that you could miss the playoffs if you drop one of those games.

But don’t we want the best teams representing our county in the postseason? Plus, six wins out of the Mission could still get you in the postseason on points.

Another coach told me if you put the top four teams from the Mission with the bottom four in the Gabilan, you’d have a dynamic league.

Well, that’s what we’re creating in the final two weeks of the regular season.

We’ve already seen proof of that. During the non-league season, Christopher held off Monte Vista 17-14 while Alisal defeated Alvarez 20-14.

Now this would eliminate two non-league games. But coaches lately have complained that it’s been a struggle lining up non-league games. Presto. We’ve eliminated that problem.

As for the bottom four in the Mission Division – assuming we’ve added an eighth team. Well, they would meet each other as well in the final two weeks in what you’d hope would be a competitive environment to build off of for next year.

There are still a lot of things that need to be ironed out. Approval for starters. Would the CCS committee even consider it? There is still the issue of a team in the Mission being able to sustain the beating of a seven-game Gabilan Division season.

Clearly, we’ve seen how it’s affected Gilroy, which was 13-0 last year, but is winless in the Gabilan, and quite frankly has struggled just to be competitive.

Another coach in the Mission Division told me that if his team is bumped into the Gabilan next year, it will not be able to fulfill its obligations at the junior varsity level on a weekly basis.

Plain and simple. This isn’t a threat. It’s fear for his kids safety, particularly when you’re talking about 15 to 20 players in their first year of organized football.

Look around the county. There aren’t youth programs in at least four high school communities right now, meaning most of these freshman have never even put a helmet on.

No system is perfect. It doesn’t solve the issue of competitive balance in the Gabilan Division. You are still going to have one-sided, running clocks in the second half in a handful of games.

And do the top four teams in the Gabilan really want to play each other potentially twice, or potentially a third time in the postseason? Do the top three teams in the Mission want to give up their playoff spot?

You can’t have a four or five team division. Someone has to be a sacrificial lamb in the Gabilan.

Before suggesting these runs go in cycles, keep in mind that Palma has made 34 straight postseason appearances, Salinas hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2007, Aptos has made nine straight appearances with three CCS titles, and San Benito is chasing an 11th consecutive CCS appearance with two section titles.

My point is the big four aren’t going anywhere. We need an alternative to the disparity in the Gabilan Division.

This option offers hope for teams that are bumped into the Gabilan of salvaging a season, which in turn can create interest in building a program rather than watching it torn down.